Generation of power.



J. G. ROBINSON.

GENERATiON OF POWER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 1915.

Patented une 13, 1916.

. THE coumnu P'LANoaRAPn co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNI E ES Parana QFFICE.

'JOHNG. ROBINSON, or MELROSE, massaonusnrrs.

GENERATION C-F POWER.

To all whom it may concern I ment thereof, but it will be understoodthat Be it known that I, JOHN G. ROBINSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inGeneration of Power, of which the following is a specification. i

My invention relatesto the generation of power and more particularly tosystems of power generation whereby a stream of water is caused to flowcontinuously through a sys tem of piping by atmospheric pressure actingagainst a vacuum created by the condensation of steam, said stream ofwater operating a turbine or other energy-translating device.

The object of my invention, which is an improvement on the system shownin my application Serial No. 838,572 filed May 14:, 1914, is to-provide'means whereby the energy of steam may. be converted into the energyofmotion by means of'a simple apparatus that can be economicallyconstructed and operated, and to improve and simplify the system shownin said application" by I eliminating the lower reservoir which isconnected with the steam vacuum pump, and otherwise to lmprove the same.

The'principle of my invention will eX- plained by referenceto theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate a simple embodivariousmodifications may be made in the apparatus itself and inthe arrangementof, the parts thereof without departing from my invention, the scope ofwhich is defined in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is an elevation of myimproved system, certain parts being shownin section. Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the valve operating disks,and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of said disk.

In the particular drawings selected for explaining the principle ofmyinvention, 1, 2, 3 represent tanks, shown in the present instance asthree in number, although in 7 practice I prefer to employ alargernumber. In order to obtain practical continuity of flow through a systemof piping, I believe that no fewer than three tanks should be employed.It will be understoodof'course that I do not limit myself as to thenumber V of tanks and that when more than three are used they arepreferably arranged with their centers equidistant from a fixed point asSpecification of Letters Patent;

y 1 Patented June13,1916. p

Application filed October 16,1915. Serial No. 56,311.

shown in my earlier application above referred to Each tank is connectedwith a pipe 4 which leads'toa source of steam;

supply (not shown) a water inlet pi e 6, 6, 6Ianda water outlet pipe 7,7, the

three sets of pipesbeing connected to such POl'illOllSxOf each tankj asmaybest enable them to perform their'respective functions. A systemofpipingcomprising the pipes 8, 9, herein shown'as horizontal, isconnected with the water inlet and outlet pipes, the

inlet pipes being connected with the portion 8 of said system and theoutlet pipes with the'portion 9 thereof, and in any convenient part ofsaid system an energy translatingdevice such as a turbine or water wheel10].

is placed so as to be actuated by the stream of water circulatingthrough said system. v Each water inlet pipe is provided with anupwardly opening valve 11, 11, 11",

said valves normally being held to their respective seats by a spring,and similar,

. downwardly opening'valves l2, l2,12. are

placed in the water, outlet pipes. Each tank is provided with a vacuumbreaking valved 13, 13, 13", such valves'being'shown in thejpresentinstance as placed in the top of each tank, and also with an air outletvalve 714,514, 14', each of whichmay be placed. in any suitable part ofa tank. Each that may be employed for this purpose,

without of course limiting myself thereto.

The upright shaft 15 operatively connected with the turbine transmitsmotion. to the 7 horizontal shaft 16 by means of the worm and gear 17,18, and on the last mentioned shaft may be secured various devices forcommunicatingmotion to the valves in question. In the present instance,disks 19,

19, 19",each face of which is provided with a cam groove 20, are rotatedcontinuously by said shaft and valve stems 21, 21,

21", and 22, 22, 22", connect the vacuum breakingand air valvesrespectively to said cam grooves, whereby at the proper time the saidvalves will be seated and unseated. Similar disks 23 may be employed forcontrolling the steam valves, a cam groove in 3 5 the inlet pipe 6 pastthe valve 11 which by virtue of said vacuum is raised from its theendsof the'levers '5, 5, 5 respectively.

" 7 It :isdesirable that the shaft 16 should rotate very slowly andforthis'purpose it 1 isunderstood of course that a variety ofspeed-reducing connections maybe 1 interposed between said. shaft" andthe vertical shaft 15, the particular connection shown 1n the drawings,namely a worm and gear,

being merelyillu'strative. Y It will also be understood that wherethetanks are arranged with their centers; equidistant rromg a common centeras shown in my application above referred" to, thejvalve oper- ..ating.mechanism "will be appropriately modified and that the mechanism shownin said application may with slight modification be used. The surpluspower developed by the turbine may be utilized by means of suitableconnections with the shaft 15.

The operation is as follows? Assuming that the several parts have thepositions shown in Fig; 1, steam will entertank 1 through the valvecontrolled by the lever 5 and will expel the air therefrom through thevalve 14:, whereupon the steam valve and air outlet valve will both beclosed, the steam fwillbecaused to condense by any of theusual wellknown means employed in steam vacuum "pumps, for example, the

water jacket 25, and; a vacuum will be formed in said tank. At the sametime, a vacuum having been formed 7 in tank 8,

water is' drawnup into s id tank through i sea-t. As soon as the tankisfilled or partially filled; the vacuum is broken and the tank emptiedtTank 2 shows the position of the valves when thevacuum has been brokenthe unseating; of the valve L13. "The breaking of the vacuum causes theseating of thevalve 11 andthe unseating of the valve 12-, thejlatter ofcourse being assisted bythe weight of the water in the tank,

' which bythe action of gravity flows through the outlet pipe 7. andinto the portionh9 of the system of piping. It will be noted thatthep'assage ofwater from the tank 2 into the pipe 9 is assisted by thevacuum created intank 3. Y

any period inthe operation of'the system a vacuum in one tank isdrawingwvater out of another and up into itself,whereby there system ofpiping,

the piping 8, 9 with which the turbine 10 p is associated. I

r The amount of water originally placed in the system must of course bedetermined experimentally and will depend upon the num ber of tanksemployed. There should, how- .ever, be enoughat least to fill one tank,the

system of piping 8, Qand one water inlet pipe. 5

By means of the present invention, no

. lower reservoir such as heretofore employed with steam vacuum pumpsystems is required, and a conslderable economy of space as Well asincreased efficiency in operation are secured. 1 I

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention,without however limiting the same thereto except as specified in thefollowing claims, what-I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent is- 1. The combination with a steam vacuum pump of an energytranslating device and a closed system of piping connecting saiddealclosed" system of piping, inlet pipes con necting each tank with onebranch of said system of piping, outlet pipes connecting each tank withthe otherbr anch of said system of piping, means for admitting steam 5to" said tanks successively, and an energyltranslating deviceoperatively connected with said system of piping.

LI ncombination, a plurality of tanks, a closed system of piping, inletpipes connecting each tank with one branch of said system" of piping,outlet pipes connecting each tank with the other branch of said meansfor admitting steam to said tankssuccessively, an energy translatingdevice operatively connected with said system of piping, and meansactuated by said device for controlling the admission of steam to saidtanks.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th dayof Oc- 7 Copies of this trade-markmay be obtainedifor five cents each,by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

I Washingtomi). G. i

